Re: The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter Rider

Do you think the fans have taken to Ba as strongly as the response indicated on Sunday, or do you think the response was amplified by the fact the fans have ran out of patience with Torres?

I think Benitez is struggling to balance playing the type of football Roman wants and the type he prefers.

With Ba & Torres, they have taken to him because he has looked good: When he isn't scoring he is still getting in the right positions, taking defenders out of the game giving others more chances to score, and often right in there ready to pick up on any scraps that might come back. He is showing a true strikers instinct.

Torres has seldom done that for us in the 2 years now he's been at the club: He often just wanders around the edge of the box doing sod all (beginning to Rival Ballack for bone idle performances) , will almost always let defenders get goal side of him when crosses come in, and is rarely there for any rebounds and the like. He misses sitters that do come his way for fun, and cannot beat a defender to save his life atm.

You can only live off your past glories for so long, and having failed miserably to rise to the challenge Ba has set him in his impressive start, just as he failed to rise to the ageing Drogba's challenge last year, the fans are letting it be known who they want to start these games. Enough is enough.

The problem it seems that Rafa (or Roman...) evidently disagree, in spite of all evidence that presents itself every time Torres plays and fails.

As for the game Rafa himself wants to play...I think he is more or less doing just that. The guy is so predictable it's almost funny: If we are leading at half time they come out for the 2nd and sit back more, trying to play more on the break (the old 'hold what we have 'deal), then he will make a substitution at about the 70 minute mark, (usually one of the attacking midfielders), then another (usually the striker) at after the 80 minute mark if that 'plan' has gone tits up again.

When we thrashed Villa we never let them off the hook throughout the game. That is not Rafa's preferred game plan though and never has been. Since that Villa game we have been letting teams off consistently which is his preferred game, even though it keeps costing us points.

Needless to say which one I prefer.

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Re: The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread

Good for him.

__________________
"When I was in college, I was belittling the woman who later become my wife for not knowing who Boba Fett was, and she responded by asking me if I knew who the Prime Minister of Israel was. Surprisingly? Not Mon Mothma."-BKV

Re: The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread

13 believe it or not.

__________________
"When I was in college, I was belittling the woman who later become my wife for not knowing who Boba Fett was, and she responded by asking me if I knew who the Prime Minister of Israel was. Surprisingly? Not Mon Mothma."-BKV

Re: The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread

In related news, Romeo Beckham is following in his mom's footsteps.

__________________
"When I was in college, I was belittling the woman who later become my wife for not knowing who Boba Fett was, and she responded by asking me if I knew who the Prime Minister of Israel was. Surprisingly? Not Mon Mothma."-BKV

Re: The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by kit1982

There is a part of me however evil it may be that would love to see Brooklyn Beckham turn out to be a league 2 bruising centrehalf!

Come on man! At least put him in the Championship.

But seriously, apparently he's pretty good. Played with the youth academy in LA.

__________________
"When I was in college, I was belittling the woman who later become my wife for not knowing who Boba Fett was, and she responded by asking me if I knew who the Prime Minister of Israel was. Surprisingly? Not Mon Mothma."-BKV